Car museum driven to become a classic

By Heidi Van Horne |
September 4, 2014

Dick's Classic Garage is home to the "lowest mileage Tucker (shown) in the world," a 1948 beauty with a half mile on the odometer. The car was one of 51 made and one of the very last off the factory line.

Dick Burdick and Wayne Bell in Burdick's 1916 Hudson Speedster, which he raced in the Great American Race and won in 2000.

Dick's Classic Garage is home to an array of fine and notable classics, shown in front of the musuem.

Dick's Classic Garage is home to an array of fine and notable classics.

Dick's Classic Garage in San Marcos focuses on the history of American automobiles, spanning from the 1900s to beyond the mid-century era.

Dick's Classic Garage is home to an array of fine and notable classics.

Dick's Classic Garage is home to an array of fine and notable classics.

Dick's Classic Garage is home to an array of fine and notable classics.

While it may take 25 years for a car to be considered a classic, frankly, I am unsure of how many years it takes for a museum to qualify as a classic. Regardless, Dick's Classic Garage, 120 Stagecoach Trail, in San Marcos is definitely working on that title. Although, technically, the location opened in July 2009, the museum's origins go much farther back than that.

Founder Dick Burdick opened the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History in 1980 in Rosanky. For decades, the museum housed an amazing collection of historical cars and helped entertain and educate countless visitors over the years. Just over five years ago he opened Dick's Classic Garage as a new facility for the existing museum. At the new, vintage-inspired San Marcos facility, the focus has been on the history of American automobiles, spanning from the 1900s to beyond the mid-century era.

Already making a name for itself in the classic car community, Dick's is a favorite stop for anyone who appreciates history and Americana, but the museum definitely is a highly recommended destination for anyone who is an auto aficionado.

Classic car lover Mike Johnson said it is, "well worth a stop to see it all."

Burdick is a successful business man and car collector, and he's not merely a spectator in the world of automobiles, but an avid participant and winning driver in the Great American Race (known now as the Great Race). Burdick drove in all of the first 25 races, taking home a record number of five wins, shared with his partner and navigator, Wayne Bell. He also officiated for the event for about 25 years.

Former employee Mark Turcotte worked for Burdick for eight years, and his father worked for him for 30 years. He said, "He is the ultimate car collector and car fanatic. He is the reason a lot of us moved from Houston to San Marcos in 1970 when he relocated his business there."

In 2012, Burdick made history with his historical treasures in Rosanky, putting close to a 100 vehicles from the original museum up for auction and bringing in excited bidders and curious onlookers alike as the exquisite machines went up on the block before the original museum closed its doors.

The landmark Texas auction helped poise the museum's new location to thrive and enable it to bring the history of the American automobile to future generations for many more decades to come.

Dick's Classic Garage is home to an array of fine and notable classics, including the "lowest mileage Tucker in the world," a 1948 beauty that has a half mile on the odometer. The historical car was one of 51 made and one of the very last to roll off the factory line, and now is the only Tucker on permanent display in the state of Texas.

For more information about making your own visit to Dick's Classic Garage and the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History, find them online at www.dicksclassicgarage.com or on Facebook.